Establishment of Turkish Social Sciences Association (TSSA/TSBD)

To further social sciences for the benefit of the Turkish people, the Turkish Social Sciences Association started in Ankara in 1967. TSSA, also known as Turk Sosyal Bilimler Dernegi in Turkish, brings together and aids social science researchers, especially in sociology. In 1992, the institution received public benefit association status from the Turkish ministry.

The mission of the Turkish Social Sciences Association

• The promotion and encouragement of the development of social sciences in Turkey are one of TSSA’s goals.
• TSSA carries out research initiatives and serves as a liaison between funders and researchers.
• TSSA honors and acknowledges the excellent achievements made by association members.
• TSSA seeks to advance public discourse by fostering scientific and social science research emphasizing Turkish society.
• TSSA organizes conferences, seminars, and workshops and publishes several social science articles as part of its dissemination operations.
• TSSA encourages cooperation on a national and worldwide scale to promote social sciences by fostering communication among social scientists.

Activities of the Turkish Social Sciences Association

TSSA activities include 

• Establish a social science library for assisting research in social sciences
• Cooperate with international organizations
• Organizing scientific congresses
• Organize conferences
• Engage in scientific meetings
• Create social surveys
• Conducting scientific research
• Organize social science competitions
• Assist members in scientific studies
• Establish a research and documentation unit

TSSA Membership

Any person who is not subject to the restrictions set out in Turkish Civil Code No. 4721 and the laws governing associations in Turkey are eligible to join the association. The Board of Directors decides to admit a member.

International and National Collaborations of Turkish Social Sciences Association

TSSA is a member of the following international institutions

• The Council of National Associations of International Sociological AssociationScholars at Risk Network
• European Sociological Association

TSSA/TSBD Conference

The 17th National Social Sciences Conference is organized in Ankara at the METU Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Building under the auspices of the Turkish Social Sciences Association.

Turkish Social Sciences Association Awards

Young Social Scientists Awards is the foremost award provided by TSSA to research scholars and young social scientists.

Turkish Sociological Association

History of TSA

Forty people established the Turkish Sociological Association in 1990 in Ankara. A Decree of the Council of the Ministers awarded it the “Association for Public Interests” status in 1999.

Activities of TSA

The group actively publishes scholarly works in Turkish and English in the peer-reviewed Journal of Sociological Research. The Association plans community-focused events in collaboration with other organizations, institutions, and non-profits.

Congress of TSA

First TSA Congress

• Theme: Current Sociological Developments

• Venue: Ege University

• Location: Izmir

• Year: 1993

• Conference organized three years after the founding of the Association.

Second TSA Congress

• Theme: Migration

• Venue: Mersin University

• Location: Mersin

• Year: 1996

Third TSA Congress

• Theme: New Sociological Challenges in the World and Turkey

• Venue: Anadolu University

• Location: Eskisehir

• Year: 2000

Fourth TSA Congress

• Theme: The Changing World and Inequalities

• Venue: Cumhuriyet University

• Location: Sivas

• Year: 2003

Fifth TSA Congress

• Theme: Current Societal Problems in Turkey

• Venue: Malatya’s Inonu University

• Location: Malatya

• Year: 2006

Sixth TSA Congress

• Theme: Social Transformations and Sociological Approaches

• Venue: Adnan Menderes University

• Location: Aydın

• Year: 2009

International Collaborations of TSA

The Association’s most important activity is the organization of the National Congress.

• National and International collaborations of TSA

• United Nations Development Programme

• Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

• NATO

• World Bank

• UNICEF

• Ministry of Health, Turkey

• European Union

• Ministry of Family and Social Research, Turkey

• Ministry of the South-eastern Anatolia Regional Development Administration, Turkey

Sociological Publications in Turkey

Turkish Journal of Sociology

Turkish Journal of Sociology is published every two years. The peer-reviewed journal started publication in 1917 and is the first sociological magazine published in Turkish. The publication is the result of the works of the father of Turkish sociology, Ziya Gokalp.

The Department of Sociology of Istanbul University, established in 1914, publishes the Turkish Journal of Sociology. Scholars working on sociological theory, sociological research, humanities, and other social science disciplines contribute to the multidisciplinary Turkish Journal of Sociology publication.

Additionally, the journal publishes article reviews, conference reports, symposium reports, workshop reports, and comments on ongoing research.